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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23796256">Rogue Acres Farm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohayohimawari/pseuds/ohayohimawari'>ohayohimawari</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto, Stardew Valley (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Farmer Hatake, Fluff and Crack, Humor, M/M, New Uses For Kamui, Of All the Au's I Chose This One, Ridiculous, Rogue!Kakashi, The Sharingan Is Magical, Zabuza Just Wants To Go To An Island Paradise, have i mentioned this is a crack fic, that's not what happens</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:14:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,224</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23796256</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohayohimawari/pseuds/ohayohimawari</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Kakashi closed his eyes in concentration and when he reopened them, his Sharingan eye spun wildly. He uttered, 'Kamui,' and in the next instant, Zabuza felt himself pulled and twisted, caught in an invisible, swirling force.</p><p>As suddenly as it had come, it stopped, leaving Zabuza sprawled on his back on the ground. 'What the hell was that,' he rasped.</p><p>Kakashi ignored him, panting from the exertion of casting such a complex jutsu as his eyes searched their new surroundings. They had landed on the porch of an unlit house, with acres of unkempt fields as far as he could see.</p><p>The night air smelled sweeter and Kakashi pulled his mask down to breathe it in unfiltered. 'It worked,' he whispered in astonishment, 'we’re here.'</p><p>'Where, exactly?' Zabuza gingerly got to his feet.</p><p>'Stardew Valley,' Kakashi smiled."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hatake Kakashi/Momochi Zabuza</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>114</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/beetlebee/gifts">beetlebee</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>More tags will be added when the full fic is posted, but the rating and relationship will remain the same.</p><p>Written for the Shinobi Spring Exchange in Sloaners' Discord Server.</p><p>**Edit June 11, 2020: I am quoting character dialogue directly from the game (especially from cutscenes and letters) to immerse these poor, tired ninjas more fully in the world of Stardew Valley.**</p><p>I do not own these characters; I've had a wonderful time throwing them into Stardew Valley.</p><p>Join <a href="https://discord.gg/fxyw3eB">The Kakashi Lounge Discord Server</a><br/>To be a member, you must be:<br/>-at least 18 years old<br/>-able to play nice with others in a multishipping community</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kakashi watched his assigned team of Genin in disbelief.</p><p>He stood there, bells at his hip, and ripe for the taking while his first crop of students disregarded them entirely. Instead, they focused on fighting amongst themselves to decide which one of them would go on to become a ninja.</p><p>He hadn’t signed up for this.</p><p>In ANBU, Captain Hatake had known precisely where he needed to be, what he needed to do, excelled at doing it, and never needed to ask why. Since Lord Third removed the Black Ops from his life, Kakashi was an untethered disaster, drifting without place or purpose through the shinobi ranks of Konoha.</p><p>No one was more surprised than he was when Lord Third bestowed the title of teacher upon him. Ever since the change in rank and uniform, Kakashi woke up tired, and as he watched his assigned students exchange sloppy punches, his Will of Fire extinguished.</p><p>“All of you fail,” he said. Then, he walked away.</p><p>And he kept walking, right through the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village, too tired of being a ninja to care that another ninja had started following him in the shadows.</p><p>By nightfall, Konoha was no longer in sight. Kakashi looked up from his feet and squinted at an illuminated billboard, providing the opportunity his stalker had waited for.</p><p>A thick mist formed, blocking out the moonlight, too suddenly to be natural.</p><p>“Looks like the Hidden Leaf has lost its dog,” a gravelly voice penetrated through the fog, followed by its owner. “I thought I killed you, but I’m glad to have another shot at it—”</p><p>“I was trying to read that, Zabuza.” Kakashi interrupted him, dismissing the threat. He lifted his hitai-ate, revealing his Sharingan.</p><p>Zabuza tensed and prepared for an attack. “Your eye can’t help you in the Hidden Mist jutsu—”</p><p>“I’m not interested in fighting a <em>ronin</em>,” Kakashi sneered while he waved one hand in front of him in a lazy attempt to clear the fog that obscured his view of the billboard.</p><p>“Which is exactly what you are now,” Zabuza bit back.</p><p>Kakashi’s gaze flicked to Zabuza as the realization settled across his visible features, silencing his criticism. “You’re correct, I am.”</p><p>Zabuza relaxed his stance at his opponent’s resignation. “Why?” He asked and lowered the Executioner’s Blade.</p><p>“For the same reason that you launched a failed coup in Kiri, I suppose,” Kakashi sighed.</p><p>“News travels fast,” Zabuza mumbled, and dispelled the Hidden Mist jutsu. “My next attempt won’t fail.”</p><p>“Good luck with that,” Kakashi returned his gaze to the billboard as soon as the fog cleared.</p><p>“Where will you go?” Zabuza asked.</p><p>“There,” Kakashi replied and pointed to the billboard.</p><p>Zabuza turned his attention to the large advertisement that loomed above them. He sputtered when he recognized the logo, “Joja Mart? That’s a new low for the Copy Nin. I’d rather work for Gato,” he cackled.</p><p>“Not the company, the location.” Kakashi seemed to make up his mind on the spot. “I’m going to be a farmer,” he announced.</p><p>“<em>That’s</em> your idea of getting away from it all?” Zabuza’s laughter came unchecked. “I’d vote for an island paradise.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, you don’t get a vote,” Kakashi said as he began to walk away. “I’m tired, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to be useful. I’d take a simple life over an exotic one any day.” He raised one hand in a lazy wave without turning around.</p><p>“You think Konoha will let you go that easily?” Zabuza called out, stopping Kakashi in his tracks.</p><p>“Kumade returns tomorrow, so it’ll be a while before I’m missed,” Kakashi stuffed his hands in his pockets and tapped the toe of one sandaled foot on the ground.</p><p>“Who?” Zabuza asked, trying and failing to recall that name from his bingo book.</p><p>Kakashi craned his neck to speak over his shoulder. “Kumade Toriichi. People have mixed us up since we were kids, especially since he insists on wearing a mask like mine. Every time someone mistakes him for me, he runs with it. Now, he’ll get his wish, and that’ll buy me some time.”</p><p>Zabuza’s eyes widened, and he opened and closed his mouth without speaking until Kakashi turned fully to face him.</p><p>“You may not have as much time as you think,” Zabuza finally got the words out. “As I said, I thought I killed <em>you</em>—”</p><p>Zabuza cut himself off when both ronin heard rustling in the shadows behind them. To the untrained ear, it could’ve been a rabbit or missed entirely, but two shinobi on the run knew better.</p><p>Zabuza cast his Hidden Mist jutsu as they fled. “That won’t be enough,” Kakashi hissed, and he came to a stop after a few chakra-fueled leaps through the trees. “I guess it’s time to try this.”</p><p>Kakashi closed his eyes in concentration, and when he reopened them, his Sharingan eye spun wildly. He uttered, “Kamui,” and in the next instant, Zabuza felt himself pulled and twisted, caught in an invisible, swirling force.</p><p>As suddenly as it had come, it stopped, leaving Zabuza sprawled on his back on the ground. “What the hell was that,” he rasped.</p><p>Kakashi ignored him, panting from the exertion of casting such a complex jutsu as his eyes searched their new surroundings. They had landed on the porch of an unlit house, with acres of unkempt fields as far as he could see.</p><p>The night air smelled sweeter, and Kakashi pulled his mask down to breathe it in unfiltered. “It worked,” he whispered in astonishment, “we’re here.”</p><p>“Where, exactly?” Zabuza gingerly got to his feet.</p><p>“Stardew Valley,” Kakashi smiled.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Their first season was rough.</p>
<p>Kakashi stubbornly chose to do everything without chakra, and Zabuza stubbornly refused to do anything, so, it took days to clear the fields. Kakashi would return each night, tired and aching, and Zabuza never failed to remind him that he didn’t want to be there.</p>
<p>They were left with precious little time and managed only to get parsnips in the ground. The profits were meager and unable to keep up with Zabuza’s growing tab at the Stardrop Saloon, nevermind invest in summer crops. Kakashi turned to fishing on rainy days for anything to eat or to sell.</p>
<p>It was on such a rainy day that Zabuza surprised him by joining Kakashi on the pier. “You could fish all the time if we went to an island like I’d suggested,” he said.</p>
<p>“Did Gus kick you out early today? You sound surprisingly sober,” Kakashi retorted.</p>
<p>Zabuza awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to another, “Pam propositioned me.”</p>
<p>Kakashi started at this, but just then, his bobber disappeared beneath the water, and he forced his attention to reeling in his catch. It wasn’t much of a struggle, and his stomach dropped when he pulled out yet another broken cd. He removed the useless item from the hook and cast his line out again in silence.</p>
<p>Zabuza sniffed beside him and cleared his throat. “Why <em>did</em> you bring me?”</p>
<p>“They were after me, not you. It seemed wrong to leave you behind. I wasn’t even sure it was going to work—”</p>
<p>His bobber disappeared below the water, and this time, Kakashi felt something heavy tugging at the line. He reeled in faster, eager to see what had latched onto his hook, and with a mighty yank, he pulled up a bunch of seaweed that had tangled itself on his fishing line.</p>
<p>“I’ve made many mistakes, especially when I think I’m doing the right thing,” Kakashi said bitterly as he struggled to clear his hook again. He let the seaweed drop into his fishing basket to bring home and cast his line out once more.</p>
<p>“Why would you keep that junk?” Zabuza offered a change of subject.</p>
<p>“This week’s Queen of Sauce recipe was maki rolls. If I do ever manage to catch a fish, I’ll wrap it in that,” Kakashi replied.</p>
<p>“I would just eat plain rice if I were you; have you seen the sewer pipe? Who knows what Joja Mart is dumping in the river,” Zabuza cautioned. “Hell, I’d rather eat more parsnips.”</p>
<p>“I give up,” Kakashi said, exasperated and defeated. “If you’re so miserable, you’re free to leave. I can’t afford your drinking habit anyway,” he tossed the seaweed back into the water, packed up his fishing gear, and left without another word.</p>
<p>He trudged through his pathetic fields to the modest house he’d shared with Zabuza. Even if his decision to leave Konoha had been sudden, even if his future looked bleak, Kakashi couldn’t regret the choice he made.</p>
<p>He did regret snapping at Zabuza, however. The former Mist Nin was correct; Kakashi had brought him here without consideration of<em> his</em> wishes, and it suddenly seemed ridiculous that the Demon of the Mist would have required rescuing.</p>
<p>Kakashi kicked off his muddy boots and left them on the porch. The last of the rainy day’s dim light shone on a covered dish that had been left on the table. Beside it, Kakashi found a note from Granny Evelyn that carried warm affirmations and a request for leeks in exchange for the home-cooked meal.</p>
<p>He ran his thumb over the delicate handwriting and smiled. It was the reassurance that Kakashi needed. He ate exactly half of the unexpected dinner and convinced himself that his determination and the kindness of his neighbors would be enough to see him through to summer, and more importantly, blueberry season.</p>
<p>Zabuza still hadn’t returned, so Kakashi scribbled a note of his own with a rough apology and reheating instructions. Weighed down by exhaustion and a fuller stomach than he’d had in weeks, he crawled beneath the heavy quilt and quickly fell into a deep sleep.</p>
<p>A sleep that was so deep that not even the explosion that rocked all of Stardew Valley woke Kakashi that night.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The insistent crow of a rooster at dawn pulled Kakashi from his slumber. His body and mind felt rested and ready for the day, yet he lingered a little longer in the warmth beneath the heavy quilt on his bed.</p>
<p>His futon in Konoha had been the site of recurring nightmares, but this bed, like all of Stardew Valley, offered him peace as he’d never known before. Not for the first time, Kakashi wondered at this place and how it seemed to be waiting for him to find it. He’d stumbled upon the gift of a lifetime and didn’t want to question it, didn’t want to look underneath the underneath. He made the conscious decision to ignore his shinobi instincts to accept it.</p>
<p>It seemed only right to him to leave jutsu behind, as well. He was no longer the Copy Nin, the friend-killer, the prodigy. With chakra removed from the equation, the field had been leveled for Kakashi, and he found contentment in the challenge. Every day brought modest achievements and spectacular failures, and when he’d return, stinking and sore to this bed, he slept better than he ever had as an elite shinobi.</p>
<p>Kakashi excelled in the ninja world, had more accomplishments than years within it. He struggled as a farmer, but he was <em>satisfied</em>.</p>
<p>He sat up and blinked at the sunlight streaming in through a part in the curtains. When had the Hatake clan traded scythes for shuriken? Why?</p>
<p>Kakashi was the last of them, and he didn’t have the answer. He stretched and debated whether it was worth it to take a shower before getting filthy in the fields again. He picked at one fingernail and the dirt that seemed destined to be trapped underneath it forever. His fingers held the memory of the feel of crumbling, cold soil, and he could almost smell the scent of damp earth that most often filled his nose. It brought a smile to his bare lips and urged him out of bed.</p>
<p>Dressed and ready, Kakashi hurried out to tend to his acres but stopped short at his note, which still lay on his table. It remained unread, and the other half of dinner remained uneaten. Zabuza had not returned during the night.</p>
<p>Kakashi felt his shoulders slump, and his chest deflated as a long exhale escaped him. Although aggravating, he’d come to rely on Zabuza’s company. The experience and casting off of their previous shinobi lives laid the foundation for an otherwise unlikely camaraderie. He’d thought that, anyway, but Zabuza hadn’t shared the sentiment, and his absence proved it now.</p>
<p>Regret wasn’t going to water his parsnips, so Kakashi shook it off as he stepped out on the porch and into his muddy work boots. It had become his habit to check his mailbox every morning, though he didn’t expect much correspondence, and was surprised to find a letter within it.</p>
<p>
  <em>Dear Kakashi and Zabuza,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Tomorrow we’re holding the Egg Festival in the town square.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You should arrive between 9 AM and 2 PM if you’d like to attend.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You wouldn’t want to miss the annual egg hunt!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>-Mayor Lewis</em>
</p>
<p>Kakashi had an aversion to invitations; however, he couldn’t deny the pleasure that came from knowing that this community wanted him to be a part of it. Nor could he deny the promise of <em>fun</em> contained within those three lines. He cast his gaze upwards to his fields and wondered if they could manage a day without him when movement along the periphery of his vision caught his attention.</p>
<p>A lone figure with a noticeable limp approached his farmhouse. Kakashi squinted and considered lifting the eye patch that covered his Sharingan. The figure neared enough for him to realize it was Zabuza, who was rendered nearly unrecognizable by the gelatinous substance that coated him.</p>
<p>Although many questions crowded Kakashi’s mouth, it was elation that pushed him forward to meet Zabuza. It took him by surprise, and he tamped it down for later consideration.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Kakashi managed to ask the first obvious question when he met Zabuza and slung the other man’s arm over his shoulders to assist him.</p>
<p>“I was exploring the mines,” Zabuza replied, and his eyes lit up with glee.</p>
<p>“The… mines?” Kakashi asked, supporting more of Zabuza’s weight to make the walk toward the farmhouse a little easier.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” his voice was thick with exhaustion, “last night’s explosion exposed the entrance.”</p>
<p>Kakashi tripped over his own feet. “Explosion? What explosion?”</p>
<p>Zabuza gaped at him in disbelief when the pair halted at the porch. “How on earth could you have missed it? It woke everyone up—well, nearly everyone,” he snickered at Kakashi.</p>
<p>“I was exhausted,” Kakashi muttered, embarrassed, as he helped Zabuza up the steps and through the door. “It’s not easy doing this by myself,” he further defended.</p>
<p>It took both of them to lower Zabuza onto the couch. Once seated, his lips spread into a smile, and he pulled a scroll from out of his hip pouch. “I’ll be bringing in more gold than your parsnips <em>ever</em> could,” he said as he wove his fingers into a hand sign, releasing the seal on the scroll. Glittering gems from deep within the earth burst forth and tumbled onto the floor. “There’s so much more from where that came from; you’re not going to have to worry about my bar tab anymore,” he said, pleased with himself.</p>
<p>Kakashi winced at the recollection of the harsh words he slung at Zabuza the day before. He turned his back, hiding his reaction, and retrieved a blanket. He was spared having to reply when Zabuza continued.</p>
<p>“There was more, but I had to pay Harvey for my surgery.”</p>
<p>“S-surgery?” Kakashi stuttered.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Zabuza groaned as he reclined, spreading the blanket across himself. “There were these… slime things. You wouldn’t know it from looking at them, but they’re vicious,” he slung an arm across his eyes, shielding them from the daylight that flooded the room. “Next time I go down, I’m taking the Executioner’s Blade with me.”</p>
<p>Each answer that Zabuza gave sparked more questions within Kakashi. However, he decided they could wait until Zabuza had rested. Kakashi poured a glass of water from the tap and set it within the other man’s reach before resuming his trek out to his fields. He had one foot out the door when Zabuza spoke again.</p>
<p>“Wait—if you manage to catch a fish instead of trash today, could you take it to Linus and thank him for me? He’s the one that found me. If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn’t have made it home.” Zabuza’s speech slurred, his voice diminished, as he dropped off to sleep.</p>
<p>Kakashi would’ve protested the assignment of another task on top of everything else he had to do. However, one word ended the argument before it could begin.</p>
<p><em>Home</em>.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm collecting doodles of Farmer!Kakashi to include at the end of some chapters. I'm happy to accept any sketches readers may want to submit. No masterpieces-just doodles, please. You can share them with me via my Tumblr blog, which is linked in the endnotes of this chapter.</p><p>The Farmer!Kakashi doodle included in this chapter is by the incredibly talented <a href="https://shy-daredevil.tumblr.com/">shy-daredevil</a> and is shared here with permission (do not repost).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kakashi tucked his cleanest shirt into his trousers and then set to the task of taming his silver cowlicks. Halfway through the battle, he gave it up as lost. He turned his back to his reflection and exited his bedroom.</p><p>He found Zabuza sitting on the sofa, showered and sharpening his Executioner’s Blade. The man hadn’t stirred from his sleep, which lasted the whole previous day, and Kakashi was pleased to find him looking so rested.</p><p>Whatever it was that Zabuza found in the mines, it had an immediate, positive effect on him, and Kakashi was glad of it.</p><p>“You’re looking fancy for a man that’s headed out to his fields,” Zabuza said, then paused in his actions as if surprised by his own statement.</p><p>“Actually, I’m going into Pelican Town today for the Egg Festival,” Kakashi replied. “The invitation included you if you’d like to join me,” he continued, tentatively. “There’s going to be an, um, egg hunt,” he recalled the detail in the letter from Mayor Lewis, “though that’s probably for the children and wouldn’t interest you.” He scratched awkwardly at the back of his head.</p><p>“Are you kidding? Children learn valuable lessons when they lose now and then,” Zabuza set his sword aside and stood up from the couch. “I bet Gus has been cooking all night for this,” he said as he walked to the front door of their shared house.</p><p>Kakashi smirked at Zabuza’s retreating form. He couldn’t deny that free food made for great motivation, and it helped to propel his steps to catch up with Zabuza.</p><p>More than once, Zabuza stopped to pluck a daffodil from the ground as the two made their way into Pelican Town. On the third occasion, he stopped short at the quizzical expression that Kakashi knew he wore on his face.</p><p>“What? These make for great gifts. Nearly everybody likes these—well, except for Jodi. I learned that the hard way,” Zabuza muttered, and then peered behind Kakashi. “Grab that leek; those are George’s favorite.”</p><p>“How do you know this?” Kakashi asked, astonished, though not as astonished as he was that he was tugging the leek from the ground.</p><p>“I do more than drink at the Stardrop Saloon. I’ve learned a thing or two about the people here,” Zabuza explained as he tucked his foraged gifts away. “People in our position could use all the friends they can get.”</p><p>“True,” Kakashi agreed.</p><p>Zabuza wiped the dirt from his hands on his trousers, then realized his mistake and tried to wipe his trousers clean. “You really should expand your horizons beyond your acres, <em>Farmer Kakashi</em>,” he scoffed. “You should explore the town more. They’re always looking for help with odd jobs, and I bet you’d make enough to buy cauliflower seeds. I hear that’s the cash crop for this season.”</p><p>Kakashi felt chastised and bristled a bit, ready to defend his contentment in his fields. But he quickly saw sense in Zabuza’s words and dropped his argument. “What is a Stardrop anyway?” He asked, instead.</p><p>“Emily told me once,” Zabuza said as he dusted the last of the dirt away. “She said that it’s a mysterious fruit that empowers those who eat it. She said that it tastes like a dream,” he laughed. “I dunno what that’s supposed to mean; she’s kind of mystical. But she swears that eating one is a powerful personal experience that’s difficult to describe to others.”</p><p>“Huh,” Kakashi considered as the pair resumed their trek to the Egg Festival.</p><p>When they arrived at Pelican Town, it was bustling with activity. It seemed everyone had shown up, eager to leave their daily toils and troubles for one day.</p><p>Zabuza whistled beside Kakashi and pointed at the feast that was laid out for all in attendance to enjoy. “I know what I’m doing first,” he chuckled.</p><p>“You go on ahead; I’ll catch up to you,” Kakashi replied, and Zabuza turned to look at him. “I think I’ll take your advice and explore the town for a little while.”</p><p>“Okay, but you better not take too long. I haven’t eaten in a day, and I can’t promise to leave anything for you,” Zabuza laughed as he headed toward the lavish meal.</p><p>Kakashi directed his gaze at the rest of Pelican Town. He’d walked through the entirety of it only once when he made his way to the beach that lay south of it. He scolded himself for not visiting Willy’s shop after the man had been so kind as to give him a bamboo pole, even if he caught more trash than fish with it.</p><p>The place that Kakashi knew best was Pierre’s shop. Though he’d only been several times, he understood that it served as more than a general store and knew that Pierre’s family opened their home to members of the community. The latter gathered in worship on Sundays or for exercise classes on Tuesdays. Kakashi assumed that was why the shop was closed on Wednesdays, which was understandable even if it had proved inconvenient for him. Whatever lay north of Pelican Town was entirely unknown to him, and so he decided to head in that direction first.</p><p>Kakashi found a stillness in the grounds north of the town. He quickly determined that it was not owing to the contrast of the crowded streets of that day’s festival. Rather, it seemed always to be this way. The birds hushed their chirps, he could hear the wind blowing as it danced through unseen chimes, and the earth and air felt thick with anticipation.</p><p>His curiosity grew with every step. Kakashi strode past an old fountain, a grand tree, and an empty playground. He finally came to a stop in front of a massive building in dire need of repair, and beside the only other person he found there.</p><p>Mayor Lewis stood still, and it took him a moment to register that Kakashi had joined him. “Oh, hi there,” he said.</p><p>Both men returned their gaze to the building. “What an eyesore,” Mayor Lewis began. “This is the Pelican Town Community Center…or what’s left of it anyway,” he glanced at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, sheepishly.</p><p>“It used to be the pride and joy of the town, always bustling with activity. Now, just look at it. It’s shameful. These days, the young folk would rather sit in front of the TV than engage with the community. But listen to me, I sound like an old fool,” Lewis sighed and looked down at his feet.</p><p>“Joja Corporation has been hounding me to sell them the land so they can turn it into a warehouse.” Lewis’ lips pinched together into a thin line, “Pelican Town could use the money, but there’s something stopping me from selling it. I guess old-timers like me get attached to relics of the past. Ah, well,” Lewis shook his head, “if anyone else buys a Joja Co. Membership, I’m just going to go ahead and sell it.”</p><p>Kakashi absorbed the Mayor’s words. He was surprised that a town full of generous inhabitants could be in such dire financial straits. He also couldn’t help but feel that Lewis’ decision to sell it now hinged upon him.</p><p>Lewis sighed beside him, pulling Kakashi from his thoughts. “Here,” he said. “Let’s go inside.”</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Follow along with Farmer!Kakashi's adventure in Stardew Valley! You can find the posts on my blog by searching the hashtag "Rogue Acres Farm":<br/><a href="https://ohayohimawari.tumblr.com/">Ohayohimawari</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kakashi’s shinobi senses remained underneath the underneath of his farmer’s façade, and they heightened as he followed Mayor Lewis into Pelican Town’s derelict community center.</p>
<p>His uncovered eye scanned the grand hall that must’ve once been the pride of the town. Now, years of disuse were evident by the cold fireplace, boarded-up windows, the broken aquarium, and the holes in the floor.</p>
<p>To Kakashi, however, it wasn’t altogether uninviting. The forest had simply begun to reclaim the building and the land that it stood on. It appeared to him to be charmed even though it had long ceased to be charming.</p>
<p>“Hmm? What’s this?” Mayor Lewis’ question disturbed the stillness and Kakashi’s contemplation.</p>
<p>Lewis approached a strange structure that looked as if it had sprouted from the floor instead of erected on top of it. It was a miniature hut, with sides that looked like tree bark and a roof of densely-packed leaves.</p>
<p>“I guess Vincent and Jas must’ve been playing in here,” Lewis surmised, and Kakashi assumed he referred to the two youngest inhabitants of Pelican Town, whom he’d seen but hadn’t met.</p>
<p>“This place is even more dilapidated than I remember,” Lewis inspected the ceiling as he turned his body to face Kakashi again.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a very small and very green…<em>something</em> appeared out of thin air. It waved frantically at Kakashi while it jumped up and down next to the fireplace to which Lewis had turned his back.</p>
<p>Kakashi started at the sight of it, drawing the Mayor’s attention to him. “What?” Lewis asked and quickly turned around, but the creature was quicker and disappeared before he could see it.</p>
<p>Lewis rotated in every direction, looking everywhere before regarding Kakashi again. “What’s the matter? Are you ill?”</p>
<p>Kakashi rushed past Lewis and stood in the spot where the creature had been the moment before. “There was something here,” he muttered his confusion.</p>
<p>Lewis laughed. “You saw something? Hmm…I wouldn’t be surprised if this place was full of rats.”</p>
<p>While Kakashi didn’t know what it <em>was</em> that he saw, he knew what it <em>wasn’t</em>. Just then, the creature reappeared behind Lewis again, jumping and waving as it had before.</p>
<p>Kakashi felt his mouth fall open, and his visible eye widen as he wordlessly lifted his arm to point at it. Lewis spun on his heel to look behind him, but the creature had disappeared once again.</p>
<p>“You’re worrying me, Kakashi,” Lewis studied him dubiously. “Look, I think I’m going to head back to the festival. I’m sure the kids are ready to begin the egg hunt,” he said as he turned to exit the community center.</p>
<p>Lewis stopped a few steps from the door and turned to face Kakashi. “Hey, I’ll keep this place unlocked from now on. Maybe you can help catch that rat if you have some extra time,” he said, and then left the building.</p>
<p>Kakashi had seen plenty of strange things in his life, but ‘strange’ didn’t begin to describe this. Whether that thing was an alien, or a mythical entity, or a hallucination, he didn’t know.</p>
<p> But it had wanted Kakashi to see it, of that much at least, he was certain.</p>
<p>He stood still as a scarecrow for a long time, not only looking at the room but watching it. Kakashi half-wished the creature would reappear, and half-wished it wouldn’t. For the second time in two days, he was tempted to lift the patch that covered his left eye to expose his Sharingan and any secrets that hid in the room to it, in turn.</p>
<p>He lifted his hand to his eye and covered it instead. Just as it was with jutsu in his fields, Kakashi didn’t want to rely on it. Something within him whispered that he didn’t need to. He let his hand fall back to his side with a sigh and began to explore the rest of the building.</p>
<p>The aged floorboards protested beneath every step he took. Groans and creaks joined the whistling wind in dissonant chords as he progressed down a hallway that stemmed from the large main room. It led to three smaller rooms, two that branched off at his right and a third at his left. It was this room, or rather what was within it, which caught his full attention.</p>
<p>A smaller, yellower version of that same strange <em>something</em>-a sprite, Kakashi decided-hopped in place long enough to be seen, before it retreated to the shadows in a far corner of the room.</p>
<p>Kakashi stepped into the room, which still held the evidence of being a once well-used and well-loved space. It had been dedicated to the enjoyment of hobbies and crafts, where people and laughter had gathered instead of shadows and dust. Now, it remained forgotten and empty, just like the rest of the community center. However, this room held something new and special that illuminated it from the center.</p>
<p>A golden and shining scroll lay open on the floor. There wasn’t enough sunlight slipping in through the cracks between the boards over the windows for it to reflect; instead, it was the parchment itself that glowed. Kakashi approached it as if hypnotized, too curious to do otherwise, though too cautious to touch it.</p>
<p>He could discern the faded outline of a large tree beneath symbols that covered the entire page. He determined that the symbols were arranged in such a way that it appeared to be writing. Kakashi had seen plenty of secret coded messages, and he stared at the unknown letters grouped into unknown words, hoping to recognize at least one that could help him decipher the message.</p>
<p>Kakashi lost track of time entirely, and before he knew it, the dim room had gone even darker, alerting him that it was well past midday. He shook his head as if freeing himself from a spell, and stole one last glance at the opened scroll as he stood up. He was no closer to being able to read it and couldn’t deny how badly he wished that he could. He left the community center and all of its mysteries, knowing that he would return.</p>
<p>“Where have you been? I was about to leave without you.” Zabuza leaned against Pierre’s storefront, next to the board where a calendar and the occasional odd job were posted.</p>
<p>“Lost on the path of life,” Kakashi mumbled his vague and honest reply.</p>
<p>Zabuza eyed him as if waiting for a better answer, though Kakashi didn’t provide one.</p>
<p>“Fine,” Zabuza pushed himself away from the wall, “the festival is wrapping up; we should get going.”</p>
<p>“Let me grab something to eat, first,” Kakashi started to walk towards the meager remnants of the feast that he missed.</p>
<p>“I made you a sandwich,” Zabuza said, pulling Kakashi back to the path that led to their shared home. “You’re lucky I didn’t eat it while I was waiting for you.”</p>
<p>“Better luck next year, Zabuza!” A girl with purple hair called out, drawing Kakashi’s attention in time to see her double over in laughter.</p>
<p>“Isn’t that Pierre’s daughter, Abigail?” Kakashi asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Zabuza nodded. “Let’s go.”</p>
<p>After Kakashi finished eating his sandwich and wiped the breadcrumbs from his face, Zabuza reached into his hip pouch and retrieved several packets which he handed over to him.</p>
<p>“Here,” he said gruffly.</p>
<p>“Strawberry seeds?”</p>
<p>“According to Pierre, you should still be able to harvest the berries from them at least twice before the season ends,” Zabuza continued as he looked up to assess the position of the sun. “You might still have enough time to get them in the ground today. I’ll help you water the parsnips. But don’t expect me to help you every day,” he growled. “It’s too late today, but I’m heading back to the mines tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“Fair enough,” Kakashi didn’t push Zabuza on his fascination with the mines after the latter hadn’t pressed him for answers about the community center. “Were these the prize for winning the egg hunt?”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“Then what was the prize?” Kakashi asked.</p>
<p>“Uh…you’ll have to ask Abigail,” Zabuza stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept his gaze on the path ahead of them.</p>
<p>Kakashi managed to choke back his chuckle, but couldn’t help teasing the other man. “Did you learn a valuable lesson from losing?”</p>
<p>Zabuza snorted. “Shut up,” he grumbled, and then laughed at himself.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you to the awesome <a href="https://anannua.tumblr.com/">Anannua</a> for the sketch of Farmer!Kakashi included in this chapter (used with permission; do not repost).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kakashi woke to the syncopated rhythm of a spring shower. Though it was too cloudy to discern the time, he assumed he’d been treated to a lie-in since the rain prevented the too-punctual rooster from crowing at dawn. He stretched, pleased to have his list of chores cut shorter by the welcomed raindrops when he heard the soft click of the front door to his home close, announcing Zabuza’s departure.</p>
<p>The sound confirmed that the other man kept his promise to return to the mines that day. Kakashi hoped it was by choice and not a necessity that Zabuza carried the Executioner’s Blade with him. His mind drifted to worry, then wonder at that worry, before he shook both it and the covers from himself to take advantage of the day as well.</p>
<p>Kakashi’s experience in the Pelican Town Community Center wasn’t something he was eager to share with his fellow rogue. At least, not until he had more answers than questions and supernatural experiences to relate.</p>
<p>Perhaps not even then.</p>
<p>Kakashi washed his face, wondering for the umpteenth time if he’d finally lost his mind. He rinsed, and then his gaze drifted automatically up to the mirror in front of him. Obito’s eye stared back at him, his daily accusation obvious as always, and as always, Kakashi closed the eye to ignore it. Such a simple decision comforted him that his mind remained as it ever was.</p>
<p>While he regretted the manner in which he left the shinobi world, he didn’t regret doing it.</p>
<p>Kakashi turned to his closet and, as if to test him, his jōnin uniform stood out, draped limply on a hanger, shunned rather than forgotten. Even though he was born into that life, it was still <em>his life</em> to do with what he pleased. He pushed the uniform deeper into the closet, further from view on future mornings. It wasn’t such a selfish thing to chase what he perceived as his own happy purpose, was it?</p>
<p><em>‘No,’</em> the answer came from where Kakashi didn’t know.</p>
<p>Ever since he’d arrived in Stardew Valley, that <em>voice</em>, that <em>presence</em>, never left him, even if it only made itself known when he doubted himself. If pressed, he’d call it feminine, though he couldn’t be sure. It seemed to emanate from that which he grew, or from the land itself—whatever, whoever, wherever it was, Kakashi came to rely on it.</p>
<p>Once he was dressed, he switched on the television as he strode past it, inviting any distraction while he made breakfast for himself.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Welcome back to ‘Welwick’s Oracle,’ if you seek hidden knowledge of the future, well, you’ve come to the right place.”</em>
</p>
<p>Kakashi chuckled to himself, curious about what the stars had in store for him as he dropped bread into the toaster.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Ah, yes…I can hear the spirits whispering something to me…”</em>
</p>
<p>He paused in his search for the jam in the refrigerator to glance at the television.</p>
<p>
  <em>“The spirits feel neutral today. The day is in your hands.”</em>
</p>
<p>He smiled as he closed the refrigerator door again. Kakashi had enough recent dealings with spirits to appreciate that they’d let him go about his day on his own. He felt even better after he’d eaten his toast.</p>
<p>But then, he retrieved his mail.</p>
<p>
  <em>My sources tell me you’ve been poking around inside the old community center.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Why don’t you pay me a visit?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>My chambers are west of the forest lake, in the stone tower. I may have information concerning your… ‘rat problem.’</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>-M. Rasmodius, Wizard</em>
</p>
<p>Kakashi stared at the shocking message and the shocking purple stationary on which it was written. Ninjas, even the retired ones, didn’t like surprises. He cast his one-eyed gaze up and around, feeling eyes on him though he didn’t see any.</p>
<p>He looked down at the letter again, considering it. As suspicious as it was, it was the only lead he had to begin to unravel the mystery of the community center and who or what now occupied it. Kakashi returned his attention to his acres, watered and well-tended by the rain. He didn’t have many days that offered him so much extra time, so, curiosity won over trepidation, and he made his way to Cindersnap Forest.</p>
<p>Kakashi had seen only one stone tower since his arrival in the valley. He’d even ventured near it once after he pulled more trash than fish from the nearby lake. The door had been locked to him then, even though he’d heard someone within.</p>
<p>This time when he arrived at that same door, it opened, and beyond it was a room with a summoning circle, a bubbling cauldron with an ominous green vapor hovering above it, and the only person Kakashi could imagine had written the letter he’d received that morning.</p>
<p>“Ah, come in.”</p>
<p>Kakashi closed the door behind him without a word in greeting. The other man rose to his feet and took a step nearer to him.</p>
<p>“I am Rasmodius,” he said. “Seeker of the arcane truths. Mediary between the physical and the ethereal. Master of the seven elementals. Keeper of the sacred cha—you get the point.”  He stepped even closer. “And you… Kakashi. The one whose arrival I have long foreseen.”</p>
<p>Out of every alarming thing Kakashi experienced in the last twenty-four hours, <em>this</em> alarmed him the most. However, the Wizard didn’t give him a chance to recover from it before he continued.</p>
<p>“Here, I’d like to show you something.”</p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kakashi kept his distance from the Wizard while maintaining a careful watch over his movements. Rasmodius approached the summoning circle that was painted on the floor of his tower. “Behold,” he said.</p>
<p>A green sprite appeared in the center of the circle, just as unexpectedly as they had in the community center the day before. Kakashi schooled his features so they wouldn’t betray his shock.</p>
<p>“You’ve seen one before, haven’t you?” Rasmodius asked the question as if he already knew the answer, so, Kakashi didn’t provide one.</p>
<p>“They call themselves the ‘Junimos,’” the wizard continued. “Mysterious spirits, these ones. For some reason, they refuse to speak with me.”</p>
<p>Rasmodius dispelled the conjured junimo. “I’m not sure why they moved into the community center, but you have no reason to fear them.”</p>
<p>The wizard knew so much of Kakashi’s experience that it unnerved him. However, his need to unravel the mystery of the shining scroll and the strange writing it bore compelled him to tell of it.</p>
<p>“Hmm? You found a golden scroll written in an unknown language? Most interesting,” Rasmodius took a step nearer as he spoke, and Kakashi fought the urge to take a step back from him.</p>
<p>“Stay here. I’m going to see for myself. I’ll return shortly.” At these words, the wizard vanished in a flash.</p>
<p>Perhaps it was owing to Minato Namikaze’s sudden arrivals and departures that Kakashi wasn’t as put off by it as he otherwise should’ve been. His gaze flitted about the room, briefly landing upon the large cauldron, and then the door. The thought to leave had barely entered his mind when the door was thrown open, and the wizard strode through it.</p>
<p>“I found the note. The language is obscure, but I was able to decipher it.”</p>
<p>Any thought of leaving was forgotten, and Kakashi directed his full attention to Rasmodius.</p>
<p>“‘We, the Junimo, are happy to aid you. In return, we ask for gifts of the valley. If you are one with the forest, then you will see the true nature of this scroll’,” Rasmodius recited. “Hmm, ‘one with the forest’…What do they mean?” He pondered aloud as he walked around his cauldron. “It’s been a long time since the Hatake left, and you were not born here, that may explain the disconnection,” he peered into his cauldron as if searching for the answer within it.</p>
<p>Kakashi’s head swam at the mention of his clan. Too many mysteries in too little time clouded and confounded his mind. His mouth opened, closed, and opened again, but his voice failed him.</p>
<p>“A-ha!” Rasmodius exclaimed, and he turned his sharp gaze to Kakashi. “Come here,” he beckoned.</p>
<p>Kakashi hesitated, well aware that all the ninja training in the world couldn’t help him hide his surprise.</p>
<p>The wizard’s mouth softened into a small smile, though a wild look remained in his eyes. “My cauldron is bubbling with ingredients from the forest. Baby fern, moss grub, caramel-top toadstool, can you smell it?”</p>
<p>Kakashi nodded to show that he could. It was a pleasing scent, one that calmed and invigorated him, and inexplicably familiar.</p>
<p>“Perhaps you just need a little help,” Rasmodius said as he lifted a cup and dipped it into the cauldron. “Here. Drink up. Let the essence of the forest permeate your body,” he offered the cup to Kakashi.</p>
<p>Kakashi’s every instinct screamed at him to refuse it, but that <em>voice</em> made itself known again, and it urged him to take it and drink it now. So, he did and then regretted it when a wave of nausea washed over him.</p>
<p>It soon passed, and his mind was filled with the trees that populated the valley. He became acutely aware of the abundance of life that surrounded him and how he had the power to use it without using it up. Kakashi’s vision cleared, his mind cleared, and he felt more attached to the land than he had before.</p>
<p>He extended his hand to return the cup to Rasmodius, and the wizard smiled as he accepted it. He then turned his back to Kakashi and walked out of the room without another word. Kakashi felt as if he’d been dismissed, so he quit both the tower and the strange visit.</p>
<p>He stepped out into Cindersnap Forest, half-expecting it to appear differently to him. However, the only change was in the population. Shane, a young man that Kakashi knew to be Zabuza’s favorite drinking buddy that was miserable in his employment at Joja Mart, was standing on the long pier that extended out on the lake. Taking a page from his fellow rogue’s book, Kakashi decided to join the other man on the dock.</p>
<p>“Here, have a cold one,” Shane greeted him and handed him a can of beer.</p>
<p>Kakashi accepted it with his eye trained on Shane. The other man’s gaze remained on the raindrops pelting the water; his shoulders slumped as if defeated.</p>
<p>“Buh…life,” Shane said and took a long drink from his can of beer. “You ever feel like no matter what you do, you’re gonna fail? Like you’re stuck in some miserable abyss, and you’re so deep you can’t even see the light of day?”</p>
<p>Kakashi knew that feeling too well.</p>
<p>“I just feel like no matter how hard I try…I’m not strong enough to climb out of that hole," Shane confided.</p>
<p>Kakashi wanted to reassure the young man, but he wasn’t sure that detailing a decade in the ANBU Black Ops could qualify as helpful. So he cracked open his can of beer and drank the whole thing instead.</p>
<p>“Heh, fast drinker, huh? Man after my own heart,” Shane chuckled, but the humor just as quickly left him. “Just don’t make it a habit, you’ve got a future ahead of you still,” he crushed his empty can with his hand. “Welp, my liver is beggin’ me to stop. See you around, Kakashi.”</p>
<p>Anger began to burn within Kakashi as he watched Shane walk away. The mayor’s resignation over selling the community center and Shane’s depression weighed on him. People seemed to do anything but thrive when they joined Joja Mart. The way <em>he</em> saw it, it was Joja Mart that polluted the land, polluted the waters, and polluted the minds of those that lived in the valley.</p>
<p>Rasmodius had hinted at the Hatake clan having strong ties to the valley, but for whatever reason, they left it. Kakashi wondered at his dawning reasoning that their absence might have been what allowed such a threat to invade it. He shook his head, but the notion held fast to his mind.</p>
<p>Every time Kakashi gained one answer, he was burdened with more questions, some that he might never know the answers to. But he did know one thing.</p>
<p>A Hatake <em>had</em> returned, and he wouldn’t suffer anything or anyone that dared to threaten the peace and happiness he’d sought and finally found in Stardew Valley.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The Farmer!Kakashi illustration included in this chapter is by the incredibly talented <a href="https://i-want-pho.tumblr.com/">i want pho</a> (used with permission, do not repost).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Your toast is ready.”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Kakashi replied as he and Zabuza brushed past each other in the kitchen.</p>
<p>Somewhere between the end of spring and the beginning of summer, the two men had fallen into a mutually beneficial rhythm. Zabuza continued to keep his promise never to water any of the crops, but he did help around the farm in other ways. His trips to the mines yielded more than gems. He brought back various ores; so many that the local blacksmith, Clint, had given him blueprints for furnaces to smelt them into bars. These allowed Kakashi to obtain better tools, and because he wasn’t relying on chakra, they made his work much easier.</p>
<p>Also, Zabuza resurfaced from his adventures below ground with so much stone that the farm boasted several wells and protective fences scattered around it. Kakashi saw this as a reason to plant more crops because more crops meant more profit, and he was already thinking ahead to autumn.</p>
<p>But the subterranean adventurer found more than raw materials. Often, he returned with artifacts, and the local museum curator rewarded him for his generous donations.</p>
<p>Zabuza extended his helpfulness to inside their farmhouse as well. Dropping two pieces of bread into an appliance for Kakashi and brewing enough coffee for them both became a part of his daily routine.</p>
<p>Kakashi valued every minute he gained from Zabuza’s efforts because he had his own secret adventure, and since the day it began with his visit to the wizard, Rasmodius, there hadn’t been a rain cloud in sight.</p>
<p>He’d made the most of that last rainy day, though. After the enlightening conversations with both the wizard and Shane, Kakashi returned straightaway to the Pelican Town Community Center, where he found he was able to understand the golden scroll. Although the words were still unknown to him, a glance at them conjured images of requested items that the junimo referred to as ‘gifts of the valley.’ The items themselves were grouped into several bundles according to the season and turned out to be the very same ones that Zabuza foraged as gifts for the townsfolk. Kakashi had left the community center that day confident that he’d be able to return soon with the four requested gifts of spring.</p>
<p>However, the dry spell left him with too little time to gather them all.</p>
<p>Kakashi <em>had</em> managed to find a daffodil, a dandelion, and horseradish, and dutifully delivered them to the shining scroll. To his dismay, however, the season ended before he could find a leek. To think he’d have to wait an entire year to complete this first bundle of seasonal gifts frustrated him to no end, and as he planted his melons and watered his blueberries, his mind plowed through his options.</p>
<p>Of course, there <em>was</em> one way to get a leek, but that meant asking Zabuza, and Kakashi was sure as hell not going to explain <em>why</em> he needed it.</p>
<p>It wasn’t the junimo or the community center that occupied his mind while Kakashi spread jam on his toast that morning. He’d greatly expanded the number of crops he grew, and more crops meant more watering and the need for more scarecrows. He groaned when the weather forecaster on the TV predicted yet another, ‘beautiful sunny day’ ahead of them, and debated whether he should chop wood or tend his fields, first.</p>
<p>“Oh, good; we still have strawberries,” Zabuza said as he peered into their refrigerator. “Mind if I take a few?” He looked at Kakashi over the top of the open door.</p>
<p>Kakashi hadn’t had his coffee yet, and it took him a moment to realize that Zabuza was waiting for an answer. “Hm?”</p>
<p>“For Maru,” Zabuza explained. “Today is her birthday, and she loves strawberries. I thought I’d bring her one as a gift on my way to the mines.”</p>
<p>“Oh, sure,” Kakashi agreed as he brought his coffee to his lips. He blew at the steam that rose from the cup, and the vapor reached his eyes, fully waking him. Then, his mind caught up, zeroed in on one word, and he jumped at the opportunity it provided to him.</p>
<p>“Speaking of gifts,” Kakashi schooled his voice to remain nonchalant. He paused to sip his coffee and swallow down any desperation that might slip out. “You wouldn’t happen to have a leek stashed away, would you?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I grabbed every one that I could find. I’ll get one for you,” Zabuza closed the refrigerator door and left the kitchen.</p>
<p>Kakashi resisted the urge to trip him when he realized the reason why he couldn’t locate a single leek in the first place.</p>
<p>“Here,” Zabuza returned and handed it over. “George is a great guy, once you get past his crankiness, and that should help you out.”</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Kakashi hummed, careful to neither deny nor confirm Zabuza’s assumption of who the intended recipient was.</p>
<p>“Maybe Granny Evelyn will send you home with dinner for us,” Zabuza chuckled.</p>
<p>“If I can find the time,” Kakashi dodged with something sincere.</p>
<p>“I thought things were easier here?” Zabuza asked. “You planted more than three times the crops we had in spring.”</p>
<p>“I did, and that’s the problem. I think I was too ambitious for the second season,” Kakashi set the leek down on the counter. “They’ll turn a good profit if I can keep them watered and keep the crows away, but I can’t do both at once.”</p>
<p>Kakashi could feel Zabuza’s eyes on him as he reached for his toast, and for a moment thought the other man might offer to help. On any other day, it would’ve been welcome, but today, he wanted to be free to sneak away to the community center.</p>
<p>“Well, I should get going if I’m going to stop at Robin’s to drop this for Maru on my way to the mines,” Zabuza turned and left the kitchen, to Kakashi’s relief. “See you later,” he called over his shoulder as he walked out the front door.</p>
<p>Kakashi grabbed the leek and his toast so he could eat his breakfast on the way to the community center. Before he reached the front door, Zabuza opened it again. “Later came sooner than I expected,” he quipped, masking his surprise with humor.</p>
<p>“Shut up,” Zabuza grumbled, though there was no anger behind it. “We’ve got a letter from Mayor Lewis.”</p>
<p>Kakashi leaned against the back of the couch, hiding the leek he held as he did while Zabuza opened the envelope.</p>
<p>“‘Dear Kakashi and Zabuza,’” he read the letter aloud. “‘Tomorrow we’re all gathering at the beach for the annual Pelican Town Luau.</p>
<p>“‘The highlight of the event is the communal potluck. Make sure you bring something good to contribute!’”</p>
<p>Zabuza looked up from the letter. “Do we have something good to contribute?”</p>
<p>“I think so,” Kakashi answered through a mouthful of toast. “I set aside the last harvest from spring, and there’s some cauliflower that looks pretty good.”</p>
<p>This seemed to satisfy Zabuza, and he returned to read the rest of the letter aloud. “‘The governor himself is attending the event, so make sure you’re on your best behavior.</p>
<p>“‘Come to the beach sometime between 9 AM and 2 PM.</p>
<p>-Mayor Lewis.’”</p>
<p>Zabuza folded the letter and dropped it on the nearest table. He scoffed, “Why does he think we wouldn’t behave?” He didn’t wait for an answer, though, and instead headed out the door again.</p>
<p>Kakashi sighed. He finally had the leek, but if he had to sacrifice tomorrow to a luau, he couldn’t spare a moment from his fields today.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter Eight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kakashi’s alarm woke him well before any rooster’s crow on the morning of the luau. There was no such thing as a holiday for him since the overly-ambitious summer sowing of his fields. If he was going to join the rest of the community on the beach by midday, then he had to tend to his farm that much earlier.</p>
<p>He fumbled in the dark for the switch to turn on his bedside lamp and then dressed quickly and quietly. Kakashi gently pulled his bedroom door open and attempted to slip through it as silently as possible. Zabuza slept on their couch, and there was nothing more dangerous than rousing that rogue ninja before he was ready to wake up.</p>
<p>Kakashi peered into their living room, keen to close the door quickly before the light from his bedroom lamp shone too brightly on Zabuza. Then, he stopped short at the other man’s dirty appearance. The fact that he <em>was</em> dirty was nothing new; Zabuza often wore various substances from whatever he encountered in the mines when he returned home from them. It was how he was dirtied; it was particular and familiar to Kakashi.</p>
<p>Only the knees of Zabuza’s trousers bore grass and mud stains. Kakashi recognized it immediately as evidence that the other man had worked in the fields before turning in the night before.</p>
<p>Curious, Kakashi tiptoed straight to the front door of their shared farmhouse. Before he’d fully opened the door, he heard the mechanical clicks and whirs of a multitude of sprinklers, and when he looked out, saw that they sprayed water everywhere, dousing every inch of his tilled acres.</p>
<p>“That should make it a lot easier, huh?”</p>
<p>Kakashi whipped around at Zabuza’s gravelly voice. “You did this?”</p>
<p>“Pfft, hell no, I got roped into helping, though,” Zabuza swung his legs over the side of the couch and sat upright.</p>
<p>Kakashi took one step back inside. “How?”</p>
<p>“Well, I knocked off early from the mines because I’d taken out the two Squid Kids that Rasmodius offered a reward for—”</p>
<p>“What!?” Kakashi spluttered, shocked to hear the wizard’s name from Zabuza.</p>
<p>“They’re these pink… floaty things—anyway,” Zabuza misunderstood which part he needed to clarify, and Kakashi chose to shut his mouth rather than correct him.</p>
<p>“I went to the Stardrop for a drink afterward, because, you know,” Zabuza’s eyes widened, “they breathe fire, and I <em>needed</em> a drink after that. I ran into Pierre there, and he joked about how he had to order a ton of fall seeds so he’d be ready for you when you came in to buy them. I told him that you had more than you could handle here and that you might not buy as many next season. I thought he was going to drop his drink when I told him that,” Zabuza chuckled.</p>
<p>Kakashi turned around to look outside once more. Behind him, Zabuza’s laughter subsided, and he picked up where he left off.</p>
<p>“He rustled the boys up together quickly after that. Pierre has influence over this community, that’s for sure. But, I think that most of them were happy to help, and it didn’t take us long.”</p>
<p>Kakashi swallowed, unable to reply. Not even the inner voice he inexplicably trusted could prompt him with adequate words to convey his gratitude and relief. He was touched, and it warmed him from the inside out.</p>
<p>It seemed Zabuza knew this and was satisfied with his silence because when Kakashi turned around, he was met with the other man’s smile.</p>
<p>Kakashi closed the door to their farmhouse. “I’ll make us something more than toast, then, seeing as how I have extra time on my hands.”</p>
<p>“Don’t go all out,” Zabuza reclined on the couch again, “I intend to bring my appetite to the luau today.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky when the two rogue ninjas arrived at the beach. Kakashi noted every resident of Pelican Town was already there, enjoying the holiday with one another.</p>
<p>“I forgot that Elliott lives on the beach,” Zabuza muttered as he made his way toward a shack, and Kakashi fell into step behind him.</p>
<p>Zabuza waved at Elliott and a young woman whom Kakashi recognized as Leah, an artist that lived in Cinder Snap Forest.</p>
<p>“I woke up late, stepped out of the door, and found myself in the middle of all this hubbub!” Elliott laughed. “I forgot that today was the luau.”</p>
<p>“How’s the farming coming along?” Leah addressed Kakashi. “It must be a busy season for you.”</p>
<p>“It is,” Kakashi scratched at the back of his head, “though it will be a lot easier to manage now, thanks to the people here.”</p>
<p>Elliott’s and Leah’s smiles were kind but made Kakashi feel too close to embarrassed to remain with the small group. He leaned closer to Zabuza and muttered, “I’m going to mingle,” which was the best excuse he could come up with on the spot.</p>
<p>“What’s the signal if you need to be rescued?” Zabuza cackled.</p>
<p>Kakashi ignored him and began what he meant to be a social lap around the gathering on the beach. There was a long table covered in so many mouthwatering dishes. Gus hovered over it, watchful over his labors, and swatting at the insects that dared to invade. “These blasted sand-flies keep landing on the food!”</p>
<p>Beyond that was a makeshift dancefloor. What the occupants lacked in numbers, they made up for in liveliness. Emily looked entranced, gyrating to the music in abandon, utterly unaware of her surroundings.</p>
<p>Robin, the carpenter whom Kakashi had gotten to know better through hiring her to construct various things on his farm, danced with her husband, Demetrius. The pair moved together stiffly, and when he walked past them, he could overhear them above the music.</p>
<p>“Ow…you stepped on my foot, dear.”</p>
<p>“This is tiring, Honey,” Demetrius panted in reply. “Are you ready to visit the buffet soon?”</p>
<p>“That music! It’s too loud!” George drew Kakashi’s attention away from the dancers, and he made a beeline to where the grumpy man and his wife stood.</p>
<p>“Hello,” Kakashi greeted them when he arrived.</p>
<p>“Can’t I have a little peace and quiet to enjoy the ocean?” George continued as if he didn’t hear Kakashi, which he probably hadn’t.</p>
<p>George’s wife, Evelyn, smiled apologetically at Kakashi from where she stood behind her husband’s chair. He took a step nearer to her so she wouldn’t have to shout to speak to him.</p>
<p>“Ahhh…the smell of the ocean takes me back many years. Long before you were born,” she added with a knowing look at Kakashi that nearly unnerved him.</p>
<p>Evelyn tilted her head, and her elderly, watery gaze lingered on him. “My eyesight isn’t what it used to be, but seeing you here…it’s as if my dear friend is with us again.”</p>
<p>Kakashi felt his mouth open and close in astonishment. It was the second time that day that he was rendered speechless, and it made him more uncomfortable than before. He was spared having to reply, as Mayor Lewis suddenly joined their conversation.</p>
<p>“Look sharp! The Governor’s here for his annual visit. If you brought something for the potluck, make sure and add it to the soup cauldron.”</p>
<p>Relieved to have been assigned with a task, Kakashi cast his gaze back at the others on the beach. In the center was a large vat that could only be the potluck that the Mayor referred to. He strode directly toward it, retrieving the prized cauliflower he’d chosen to bring as his and Zabuza’s contribution.</p>
<p>“If you brought something for the soup, go ahead and throw it in,” Marnie, the town’s expert on animals, instructed him as she vigorously stirred the contents of the soup cauldron.</p>
<p>Kakashi did as he was told, and then sought out Lewis once more. He found the Mayor standing beside another man that was dressed from head-to-toe in purple, whom he supposed was the Governor.</p>
<p>“Should we move forward with the luau?” Lewis asked when Kakashi joined them. “The Governor seems a little hungry.”</p>
<p>Kakashi nodded and waved to Zabuza to signal for the other man to join him.</p>
<p>“You need to be rescued already?”</p>
<p>“Shut up,” Kakashi replied, and his gaze briefly drifted to Evelyn, before Mayor Lewis spoke above the music, pulling everyone’s attention to him.</p>
<p>“Well, folks, it’s time once again for the potluck ceremony. I trust that you all put high-quality ingredients in the pot this year. We don’t want the Governor to regret his visit to the valley!” Lewis punctuated his statement with a pointed look at the newest members of the community before turning to the Governor.</p>
<p>“Well…Governor? Would you do us the honor of tasting the soup?”</p>
<p>“Of course! I’ve been looking forward to this all year,” the Governor replied.</p>
<p>The man neared the cauldron, producing a spoon from his violet suit jacket and dipped it into the potluck soup. He blew on it when he lifted it out and brought it to his lips. Then, he paused, with an unreadable expression on his face.</p>
<p>Kakashi felt rather than heard the crowd hold its breath. Then, the Governor jumped in place.</p>
<p>“Oh my…That’s the best soup I’ve ever tasted!”</p>
<p>After his exclamation, the Governor ate spoonful after spoonful, as if he couldn’t get enough. Mayor Lewis joined him at the side of the cauldron and dipped his spoon into the soup as well.</p>
<p>“You’re right…It’s delicious!” Lewis beamed. “Wonderful job, everyone! Now…who else wants a taste?”</p>
<p>“I think you’ve made friends today,” Zabuza elbowed Kakashi in his side and laughed at him. “Good call with the cauliflower.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Kakashi chuckled weakly in reply, and then the pair joined the others as they gathered around the cauldron.</p>
<p>The Governor wasn’t kidding; the soup was out of this world, and Kakashi felt he’d repaid the kindness of those that lived in the valley.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter Nine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you to Shy Daredevil for making a custom doll outfit especially for Farmer!Kakashi! You can view the whole collection of images in this <a href="https://shy-daredevil.tumblr.com/post/622275620848680960/farmer-kakashi">Tumblr post</a></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day after the luau, Kakashi felt the full benefit of having fields that watered themselves. He meant to inspect his crops to ensure that each was properly irrigated, but as he trudged between the rows, his one-eyed gaze scanned without seeing, and his mind urged him to consider Evelyn’s words from the previous day.</p>
<p>Except for his father, Sakumo, Kakashi’s family was entirely unknown to him. He lost his mother before he could remember her, and when Sakumo passed a few years later, he took the history of the Hatakes with him. Kakashi was forced to be satisfied with the fact that his family would remain a mystery because it was all that he was left with.</p>
<p>And yet, two strangers in a foreign land alluded to his clan within the last few weeks.</p>
<p>Kakashi credited and resented his years in the shinobi world for making it far too easy for him to suppress his eagerness to know more. Also, whereas some may know of his clan's happier history, he knew of its sad current state, and that, too, prompted his hesitation.</p>
<p>Although it was unnerving to encounter strangers that knew more of his family than he did, it offered a strange sort of affirmation that he’d made the correct, albeit sudden decision to quit Konoha for Stardew Valley. That mysterious inner voice grew stronger with every day that he worked with the land. Now, he trusted it as much as he’d ever trusted his ninja intuition. Kakashi wondered if it had been with him all along, waiting for the moment that he was ready to listen to it.</p>
<p>Kakashi shook his head to clear it. The mysteries of the past would have to wait while he addressed another mystery in the present. He turned on his heel and headed straight back to the farmhouse to retrieve the leek, which was the final gift of the valley to complete the spring bundle that the junimos requested.</p>
<p>On a hunch, he made a quick detour to Cindersnap Forest to see what items summer offered to foragers. He grabbed a spice berry near Marnie’s ranch and surveyed the ground around him for others. Kakashi pulled a wild grape from some overgrown brush, and when he looked up again, he found a curious cart that he hadn’t seen in the forest before. He couldn’t decide which was odder, the cart’s occupant that waved him over or the fez-wearing pig that pulled it.</p>
<p>He stepped up to the window and discovered the cart’s owner must be a traveling merchant based on the limited array of items. “I’ll have new items every week,” the merchant said proudly, “so make sure to come back!”</p>
<p>Among the displayed items, a rare seed caught his eye, followed by its price tag. “That’s one expensive seed,” Kakashi said, hopeful that the merchant would be up to bargaining.</p>
<p>“I smuggled these goods out of the Gotoro Empire.” The merchant replied, defensive. “Why do you think they’re so expensive?”</p>
<p>Kakashi had never heard of the Gotoro or their Empire, which left him without much of an argument. He also wasn’t in the mood to adopt any more mysteries that morning. However, the rare seed was too tempting to pass up, so he made his first expensive impulse buy since arriving at Stardew Valley and returned to his farm before he could spend all of his savings.</p>
<p>After carefully placing the curious seed from the curious cart safely in storage, he continued to his initial destination, the Pelican Town Community Center.</p>
<p>Kakashi paused on the path between the town and his farm to inspect the bus that seemed to have broken down in the spot it occupied on the street. It occurred to him that so much had gone unnoticed by him because he simply hadn’t had the time to explore beyond his fields properly. When Zabuza and the townsfolk provided him with sprinklers, what they had actually given him was priceless and intangible.</p>
<p>Kakashi had been given the gift of time, and he meant to make the most of it.</p>
<p>He strode around the bus, frowning at its disuse when he spied a sweet pea blossom next to another mechanism in an apparent state of disrepair. As he scooped the flower up, he eyed the idle minecart. Like the bus, it remained stopped in its tracks, and as he turned from one to the other, he wondered how they could be forgotten.</p>
<p>Kakashi continued on his trek, pondering on the notion that when JojaMart brought convenience to the valley at a low price, it came at the cost of robbing the citizens of what had once been important to them, without their knowing that it was happening.</p>
<p>Instead of walking past the hospital and Pierre’s store, Kakashi took the first turn so he could slip into the Community Center unnoticed. As he neared it, his excitement mounted, and in his eagerness, he quickened his pace and withdrew the leek from his pouch before he’d reached the room with the golden scroll within it.</p>
<p>Almost the moment he offered it, the leek disappeared from his hand, and a packet of seeds for the very items Kakashi had collected appeared in its place. He wasn’t spared a single second to scrutinize it, however, because a junimo carrying a bundle over its head materialized at his feet.</p>
<p>“Wait,” Kakashi called out to it as it trotted happily from the room, and he rushed to follow it.</p>
<p>Upon reaching the hallway, a second golden scroll popped out of thin air and shone in what had once been a pantry. Kakashi gawked at it for a moment, then continued to chase after the junimo to the main hall. He felt his jaw drop further when he found a third golden scroll illuminating the broken aquarium.</p>
<p>Kakashi ran one hand down his face in exasperation. It seemed the mystery of the Pelican Town Community Center was more of an investment than he initially thought it would be. He remembered the foraged items he had stashed in his pouch and returned to the first scroll. He offered his gathered goods as before and received another packet of summer seeds in exchange.</p>
<p>Kakashi then proceeded to check the second scroll that appeared in the room opposite him. Just like with the original scroll, images filled his mind when he glanced at the unknown script. He was relieved to know that this scroll requested crops which he’d grown, that he currently grew, and that he intended to grow the following season. Beyond what could be got in his fields, this scroll required items that his farm would produce once he brought animals to it.</p>
<p>He exited the pantry and checked the scroll near the broken aquarium. Happy to find he had an excuse as well as the time to indulge in fishing, he peeked in at the other rooms in the center, knowing that if he didn’t find a shining scroll within them now, that he could expect to in the future.</p>
<p>He had never been much of a collector, but Kakashi found himself caught up in the frenzy of it. He left the building, swearing that from now on, he’d save at least one of <em>everything</em> that he could find in the valley, and debated whether he ought to have Robin build a barn or a coop, first.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter Ten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kakashi hurried back to the farmhouse to gather more gifts for the junimos from his larder, determined to complete at least the spring crop bundle before the sun set on the day, and before Zabuza could return to catch him. Secrets were difficult to keep in close quarters, but Kakashi knew he’d quickly have to come up with something more believable than the truth to explain why so many things would go missing.</p>
<p>Raiding the pantry helped him to decide which would be the best new addition to the farm. Chickens meant eggs, which meant he’d have something to make up for what he had to take from their food supply. Kakashi checked the clock, noted that he had a scant thirty minutes left of Robin’s business day, and hastily confirmed that he had enough raw materials to provide to her for a coop. Then, he rushed along the path that led to the mountains and the carpenter’s shop.</p>
<p>Kakashi was grateful for the fresh mountain air when he emerged from the shop with his transaction completed. Between the rare seed and the coop, he couldn’t recall ever spending so much in one day before, and the experience left him a little light-headed.</p>
<p>“What’re you doing here?”</p>
<p>Kakashi turned around to find Zabuza walking toward him. “I, uh, placed an order with Robin.” He replied, as he suddenly wondered if he should’ve discussed the farm's future ventures before spending so much of their joint finances.</p>
<p>“Oh?” Zabuza joined him in front of the shop.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I ordered a coop,” Kakashi did his best to sound nonchalant, “I’m going to raise chickens.”</p>
<p>Zabuza stared at him for a moment and then doubled over in laughter.</p>
<p>“What?” Kakashi asked, indignant. While he was glad that Zabuza didn’t drill him on how much he spent, this wasn’t the reaction he expected.</p>
<p>“When you say things like <em>that</em>, it’s difficult to remember that you are the Copy Nin.”</p>
<p>“Was,” Kakashi corrected.</p>
<p>The sound of the carpenter’s shop door opening and closing silenced both of the rogue ninjas. “Thanks for seeing to that invasive crab species in the mines, Zabuza,” Demetrius said as he and his wife joined the pair.</p>
<p>“You don’t look like you’ve spent the day in the mines,” Kakashi muttered his observation.</p>
<p>“The recent landslide cleared the path to the bathhouse,” Robin explained, “it’s perfect after a long day of hard labor.”</p>
<p>“It is,” Zabuza agreed. “It’s Friday, so I suppose you two are headed for the Stardrop Saloon; do you know what tonight’s dinner special is?”</p>
<p>“No matter what Gus features, she always gets spaghetti,” Demetrius chuckled.</p>
<p>“Is it that good?” Kakashi asked as his stomach reminded him that he skipped lunch.</p>
<p>“It’s my favorite,” Robin smiled, “you could walk with us if you’d like.”</p>
<p>“We’ll meet up with you there,” Zabuza said, quickly enough for Kakashi, at least, to be suspicious.</p>
<p>“You didn’t want to go with them? I thought you were all about making friends in this town,” Kakashi said once Robin and Demetrius were out of earshot.</p>
<p>“I… have to stop at the Mayor’s house, first.”</p>
<p>Kakashi eyed Zabuza, knowing there was more to what the other man was saying, but as long as he had secrets that <em>he</em> wished to keep, he didn’t press the other man to divulge his. “Well, I won’t keep you,” he said and began to return to the same path he’d taken up to the mountains.</p>
<p>“Don’t you want to go to the saloon for dinner?” Zabuza asked.</p>
<p>“I do, but,” Kakashi scratched at the back of his head, “I’ve spent enough today as it is,” he admitted.</p>
<p>Zabuza sniffed. “I can cover us both after I’ve seen the Mayor.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Kakashi was too surprised to refuse, and he resumed walking towards the road that led between the farm and the mountains.</p>
<p>“Where are you going? This way is a short cut to town,” Zabuza pointed out and began walking in the same direction as Robin and Demetrius.</p>
<p>Kakashi caught up to him, and as they rounded a slight corner, the community center came into view. “The town really ought to get rid of this; it’s a waste,” Zabuza deemed.</p>
<p>“You think they should sell it to JojaMart?” Kakashi asked, astonished.</p>
<p>“No, hell no,” Zabuza shook his head, “but it does no good to anyone rotting away like this.”</p>
<p>“That’s a harsh assessment,” Kakashi countered as they passed the front of the center. “It could still be salvaged,” he knew he sounded ridiculous when they could both see the desperate state the building was in, and yet he couldn’t help defending it.</p>
<p>Zabuza stopped to take a good look at it. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, “I hadn’t pegged you as the sentimental type,” he scoffed and turned to continue walking to the town.</p>
<p>Kakashi remained where he stood, quickly cycling through excuses that might buy him time and privacy to complete the spring crop bundle.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you coming?” Zabuza asked gruffly.</p>
<p>“I’ll be right behind you,” Kakashi started talking before a reason for lingering could come to mind, “I’m…going to check it out.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>“Why not?” Kakashi dodged.</p>
<p>Zabuza looked at him with suspicion plain on his face. He appeared to consider his words carefully before he spoke. “Not that I care, but are you okay?”</p>
<p>“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kakashi blustered, doing his best to divert Zabuza’s attention from himself. “I thought you said that you had to go see the Mayor,” he attempted to use Zabuza’s secret to cover his own.</p>
<p>It worked because Zabuza turned in the direction of town without another word. He pulled his hands from his pockets, and the action caused a pair of men’s purple underwear to fall to the ground.</p>
<p>“You dropped something,” Kakashi snickered and couldn’t help himself from teasing Zabuza further, “I hadn’t pegged you as the boxer type.”</p>
<p>“They’re not mine,” Zabuza growled dangerously. He picked them up from the ground and shoved them back in his pocket as he cast a look of warning at him.</p>
<p>And as Kakashi watched Zabuza hurry away from him, presumably to the Mayor’s house, he decided that some things were better-left secret.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter Eleven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The Farmer! Kakashi illustration featured in this chapter is by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/notAfont/works">notAfont</a> and is shared with permission; do not repost. Thank you very much for this surprise sketch in the comments on this fic!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The junimos proved to be demanding, picky creatures.</p><p>In his initial frenzy to fulfill the requests of the tiny, fantastical things, Kakashi assumed that he’d be able to comply with ease. However, the more he gave, the more he learned that he’d be parting with things that were heftier sacrifices in the form of prized crops, animal products, and artisan goods. What’s more, when he completed one bundle, a whole new scroll filled with requests would appear in another room. The boiler room proved to be problematic as it required objects that Zabuza obtained, not Kakashi.</p><p>And the broken vault in the crumbling office made him dizzy with the expense of it, and more than a little worried over whether he was being scammed.</p><p>As Kakashi cast his line out to the mountain lake in front of him, he wondered if the secret sprites had secret business partnerships with Robin and Marnie. The former was a fixed feature on his farm lately; after she’d built the coop, he had two silos erected. To her credit, Robin worked remarkably fast. So fast that he was tempted to crack open his Sharingan to see if she employed more than carpentry skills. The most recent addition was a barn, and once he harvested the first melon crop, he was set to expand it.</p><p>Marnie waved at him eagerly every time she saw him these days, which happened more often outside of her store than inside of it during her posted business hours. It was frustrating, trying to keep up with her between her aerobics days, her weekly shopping, frequent evenings at the Stardrop Saloon, and even more frequent bouts of self-reflection in her kitchen.</p><p>Kakashi had managed to get two chickens, a duck, a cow, and had plans to bring a goat into his found agro-family. They made his acres a livelier, noisier place. Most days, they were his only company while Zabuza was off doing… whatever it was that he did.</p><p>Perhaps it was owing to the extra time that Kakashi had on his hands, or because he had a secret of his own that he guarded so closely, that his mind wandered more often into wondering how Zabuza spent his time in Stardew Valley.</p><p>Kakashi knew that Zabuza kept himself busy between running odd jobs around Pelican Town, or beneath it in the mines. What he wondered was <em>why</em>.</p><p>Both former ninjas left their shinobi ranks for their own reasons, but only Kakashi sought out the life he now lived. True, he brought Zabuza with him, but at what point had Zabuza become content to stay?</p><p>A lazy nibble on his fishing line brought Kakashi’s attention to the lake in front of him. He watched, waiting, and when the bobber dipped below the surface of the water, he began to reel in whatever it was that he’d caught.</p><p>There wasn’t much of a fight on the other end of the line, but it was still a fight, so he knew it wouldn’t be algae that he’d tug out from the depths. And sure enough, his efforts were rewarded with a carp in no time at all.</p><p>He removed the fish from the hook and prepared to replace the special bait that Zabuza had made for him, based on a concoction that Linus shared with him in secret. Kakashi paused in his actions when Zabuza returned to his thoughts.</p><p>Why did the Demon of the Mist remain with him in Stardew Valley?</p><p>Kakashi wasn’t complaining; in fact, he appreciated Zabuza’s company more than he’d ever expected to. Although an unlikely and rather grumpy companion, he’d become a companion all the same.</p><p>The thought that Zabuza was free to leave led to the sudden realization that he <em>could</em> leave and sadness seeped in, urging the thought away. It startled Kakashi, and the bait that he meant to fix on the hook fell from his fingers into the water below.</p><p>“I find that you catch more fish when you <em>don’t</em> give the bait away.”</p><p>Kakashi raised his head to see the very man that occupied his thoughts walking toward him.</p><p>“I—” Kakashi stopped himself to reckon with how quickly sadness gave way to gladness when he saw Zabuza emerge from the mines, even if he was dusty and a bit singed on one side while slimy on the other. “I know that,” he finished, hastily.</p><p>Zabuza laughed aloud as he started on the path that edged the mountain lake. Kakashi noticed that he was favoring one leg when he reached the final makeshift bridge that connected to the small island in the center where the farmer fished.</p><p>Kakashi’s one-eyed gaze flitted up to the other’s face in concern. He swallowed, considering how to address it without insulting his companion, and settled on recycling the same words that Zabuza once used. “Not that I care, but, are you okay?”</p><p>Zabuza stopped in his tracks, and he eyed Kakashi intently. Their eyes searched each other until Kakashi felt that if the silence between them lasted for a moment longer, it would be too long to brush aside as nothing.</p><p>It seemed that Zabuza knew it as well because he interrupted it with a nod at Kakashi’s fishing basket. “Catch anything good?”</p><p>“Only carp, so far,” Kakashi replied as he retrieved another piece of bait to apply to the hook, “but I’m not leaving until I’ve caught a sturgeon,” he grumbled. Then, he rushed to explain his determination, whether or not it was warranted. “They’re not available year-round.”</p><p>In truth, a sturgeon was the final fish he needed to complete one of the bundles assigned to the broken aquarium in the community center, and he wanted to catch one quickly so he could move on with his life and his farm.</p><p>Zabuza reached one arm that was coated with slime to the fishing basket, then withdrew that arm and used the other lightly burned one to lift the lid instead. Kakashi was thankful for the consideration, as he didn’t want any of the unknown substance to drip onto what would be their supper that night.</p><p>“Huh, you’ve already caught enough to make Carp Surprise—”</p><p>“How did you know that’s what I was going to make?” Kakashi asked, almost as surprised as the carp were.</p><p>“I returned home early enough to catch this week’s <em>Queen of Sauce</em> rerun yesterday; I’ve been craving it ever since,” Zabuza let the lid snap shut again.</p><p>Kakashi felt the blood drain from his face. “You came home early?” He asked, fiddling with the hook and trying not to appear nervous about the revelation.</p><p>“Yeah,” Zabuza replied casually, and then continued a little less casually, “where were you, anyway?”</p><p>“I was gathering hardwood,” Kakashi offered half of the truth and held back the other half that it, too, was for an offering to the junimos.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, Robin said that would the best material for a strong fence,” Zabuza seemed to accept the answer as it was.</p><p>Kakashi hummed noncommittally in reply, hoping that hid his relief.</p><p>“So, a sturgeon, huh?” Zabuza asked as Kakashi cast his line out.</p><p>“Shh, you’ll scare the fish,” Kakashi cautioned, feeling Zabuza’s fixed gaze on him.</p><p>“Willy loves those,” Zabuza continued, “his birthday is near the end of this season. That’ll be a great gift.”</p><p>“Right,” Kakashi replied hesitantly, his gaze locked on his bobber. Now he had to catch two.</p><p>“Right,” Zabuza repeated quietly, but sharply and Kakashi felt as well as heard his companion’s dissatisfaction. “I’ll see you back at the house,” he added, as he turned and left.</p><p>Kakashi closed his eye and exhaled sharply through his nose when he was alone. Anger mounted within him, and as much as he tried to direct it at the lake, it was he, himself who deserved it.</p><p>He caught one sturgeon before sunset, and another just after. Though he had what he needed, he lacked the excitement to deliver it straightaway to the community center, even if meant the completion of a bundle.</p><p>The night sky deepened as Kakashi made his way back to the farm. He trudged through his fields to the space he set aside as a barnyard and found that his companion had already closed the coop and barn up safely for the night.</p><p>Kakashi hung his head and ran one hand through his hair. How had he allowed himself to get caught up in such madness?</p><p>He looked at the house he shared with Zabuza and at the windows that were lit from within. It remained a welcome sight, made especially welcome because the other was still there to share it with him.</p><p>However, something unwelcome had also arrived, and Kakashi could feel it… he could feel it in the air that night, following him inside their home because he’d brought it there.</p><p>Distrust.</p><p>
  
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter Twelve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Ah… I sense that a new viewer has joined us. A young man from…Stardew Valley? Welcome, welcome!”</em>
</p><p>Kakashi dropped two pieces of bread into the toaster because Zabuza ceased doing it for him. It had a big impact for a small gesture, and now it sent the message that all was not well between them.</p><p>At least Zabuza still brewed enough coffee for them both; he considered as he poured a cup for himself and listened to Warwick’s prediction of what fate had in store for him that day.</p><p>
  <em>“The spirits are very happy today! They will do their best to shower everyone with good fortune.”</em>
</p><p>“Good,” Kakashi used the breath he’d held to cool his coffee before sipping it as the toaster produced his breakfast. He had a big day planned and could use all the luck he could get.</p><p>Between the accelerated expansion of his farm, his relentless hoarding, and lucky finds at the mysterious weekend market, Kakashi managed to fulfill the majority of bundles requested by the junimos. He had only to wait for those items that would come in the final two seasons of the year to complete them. However, there were two scrolls to which he hadn’t begun to submit anything.</p><p>The broken vault and its price became less affordable with every progressive step towards fulfilling all other requests. But if he were honest with himself, Kakashi would have to admit that it was also because the weekend market vendor offered more of the rare seeds that he couldn’t refuse, and after he bought the one, the vendor returned with five. He was thankful that the end of summer was in sight and that it would be time to purchase autumn seeds before he was tempted to dip into that money to cover his impulse buys.</p><p>The only other untouched scroll was in the boiler room, and it was that which Kakashi planned to address that day, and his shoulders slumped when he considered his circumstance.</p><p>He’d gone to the Adventurer’s Guild the day before only to be barred from it. Marlon told him he’d need to prove himself before he could enter and thrust a pathetic sword in Kakashi’s hands with a growl about defeating ten slimes…Whatever those were.</p><p>The knife that Kakashi used to spread jam on his toast would probably do more damage than the rusty, dull weapon he was given.</p><p>Kakashi had no other choice but to go into the mines to obtain those items the junimos requested, even though Zabuza most likely had them all currently in his possession. As things stood between them now, Kakashi didn’t dare ask for, never mind take them.</p><p>He crunched his toast and eyed the milk pail near the door. That was the other problem he had today, and it was made worse by the tension between the rogue ninjas.</p><p>The livestock preferred Zabuza to Kakashi since he named them after the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Zabuza had hidden talents beyond his shinobi skills, as he proved by showing Kakashi how to milk a cow. Kakashi very nearly gave in to the temptation to open the Sharingan to memorize the other’s successful technique, especially because the goat was particularly problematic.</p><p>The sooner Kakashi tended to his animals, however, the sooner he could venture below ground with a useless weapon. Although that wasn’t much, it was enough motivation for him to grab the pail and head out to the barnyard.</p><p>Several bruises later, he left his farm to make his way through the mountains to the mine shaft. The cave entrance wasn’t intimidating in itself, but the ladder that led down through a narrow and dark hole in the ground was.</p><p>Kakashi descended and found himself in a large underground cavity that was littered with rocks. He sheathed the sword, pulled out his pickaxe, and used it to gather resources almost instinctively. Beneath the fifth stone he pulverized, he discovered another hole with another ladder hidden beneath it.</p><p>He pushed his suspicions aside to climb down. When he let go of the ladder, he turned around to find more than rocks waiting for him this time.</p><p>A strange, green…something - something that definitely <em>wasn’t</em> a junimo - seemed immediately put off by his arrival and charged at him. Kakashi set aside his pickaxe and pulled out the rusty sword. Before he could do anything with it, the green thing jumped at him, coating him with the same substance that Zabuza often wore when he returned home.</p><p>Kakashi let out an exclamation of disgust and furiously slashed at the green abomination, though it seemed all he managed to do was annoy the thing rather than wound it. Eventually, after countless strikes, he quashed the angry creature into a puddle with a satisfying squelch.</p><p>“Slime,” he named his foe; because it couldn’t be anything else.</p><p>Kakashi wiped his face off and looked around him. Several more of the green monsters lurked around the cavity and there was no hole with a ladder in sight.</p><p>He was reminded of Zabuza’s description when <em>he</em> first encountered them. He said they were more vicious than they appeared and Kakashi agreed with him. He was half-tempted to climb out of the mines when he spied a sparkling quartz and recognized it as one of the items requested by the junimos.</p><p>Kakashi steeled himself and made his way through the stones to retrieve it, crushing them as he went, careful to maintain space between himself and the threatening slimes, promising that he would return equipped with his vengeance and a better weapon.</p><p>He continued thus, descending to more and deeper levels below ground, each dimmer than the last until he found himself in near darkness. Suddenly, he noticed a difference in the sound his steps made and realized he was standing on loose earth. Almost as soon as he discovered it, an unseen monster burst from the ground beneath him and attacked.</p><p>He jumped away and blindly lashed out with his sword. Kakashi defeated the monster before he could identify it and found an amber-colored crystal among its remains. Elation at acquiring another object as an offering to the community center dominated his other misgivings and restored his determination to carry on. He backtracked to grab a torch near the entrance to the current cavern he was in and continued his quest.</p><p>Between his gathering frenzy and the frenzy of defending himself against foes he’d never imagined before, Kakashi lost count of how many chambers he’d entered and exited, but he guessed it was somewhere near twenty. Exhausted, filthy, and stinking, he peered at the one he stood in, trying to perceive anything in the darkness when his attention was drawn to movement near his feet.</p><p>A group of larvae inched towards him menacingly, and once again, his reaction was very unlike the shinobi he once was. Kakashi struck out at them, repulsed, cutting down some but not all when suddenly, they stopped. Then, they changed color and began pulsing.</p><p>Kakashi was filled with a sense of foreboding that grew when his sword did nothing to them, and neither did his pickaxe when he wielded it against them. Then, it got worse.</p><p>The air around him became charged, and a humming sound filled the cavern. He looked up in time to spy a massive insect, the likes of which he’d never seen before, not even in the Forest of Death in Konoha, flying straight at him. Kakashi grabbed his poor excuse for a weapon and readied himself. What he meant to be critical, fatal strikes succeeded in batting it away temporarily and only made it angrier.</p><p>While he was focused on the first, a multitude of them appeared and swarmed him. Kakashi realized this must’ve been what sent Zabuza to the hospital the first time he visited the mines, and he did his best to stand his ground. The buzzing that filled the air nearly drowned out the cheerful <em>ding</em> that sounded behind him, and before he could look over his shoulder to see what new horror had arrived, he was pulled out of the cavern.</p><p>“What the hell are you doing down here?” Zabuza bellowed, his voice bouncing off the walls around them as he frantically punched buttons to close the door of the contraption they were in.</p><p>Kakashi glanced around him as he stood up. “An elevator?” He exclaimed, incredulous and almost embarrassed at the high pitch of his voice.</p><p>Zabuza turned to face him, and withheld whatever he was going to say when his gaze raked Kakashi from top to toe, then lingered on the pathetic sword he still held. “I can’t believe you got this far with that toothpick,” he assessed.</p><p>“How did you find me?” Kakashi dodged the compliment and hid his jealousy of Zabuza’s Executioner Blade with his question.</p><p>“I heard screaming, and the buzzing of the cave flies. I figured they swarmed someone, but I didn’t expect it to be you,” Zabuza scrutinized him.</p><p>Kakashi bit back the argument that he hadn’t screamed when he couldn’t confirm whether he did or not. “They do get pretty loud,” he hoped that Zabuza assumed he referred to the cave flies.</p><p>“What are you doing down here?” Zabuza repeated his initial question.</p><p>“I, I need things that are only found down here,” Kakashi stammered a portion of the truth.</p><p>A quizzical expression overtook Zabuza’s features. “If you need something for the farm, ask me.”</p><p>“Well, I would, but—” Kakashi was interrupted by the elevator door opening to the entrance of the mines, and he was glad of it.</p><p>However, Zabuza pressed the button that closed the doors again before either could exit. “It’s not for the farm, is it?”</p><p>Kakashi met his gaze but kept his mouth shut. Whether it was from physical exhaustion from his day in the mines, mental exhaustion from keeping the secret of the junimos, or the fact that Zabuza looked frustrated rather than angry, Kakashi couldn’t lie to him this time. “I can’t tell you,” he began.</p><p>Zabuza scoffed and slammed his fist into the button that opened the doors again, and started to walk away.</p><p>“But I can show you,” Kakashi finished.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter Thirteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you to Shy Daredevil for the doodle of Farmer! Kakashi at the end of this chapter. Please check out their art blog on Tumblr: <a href="https://theartofshy.tumblr.com/">The Art of Shy</a> Art is shared with permission; do not repost.</p>
<p>I'm still accepting doodles of Farmer! Kakashi to include with chapters, and I'll start sharing screencaps of his and Zabuza's adventures in the game!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As he led Zabuza to the Pelican Town Community Center, Kakashi realized what it meant to be nervous for the first time in his life.</p>
<p>He’d never worried before taking a test at the Ninja Academy, and there was no time or opportunity for it after he graduated. Meeting an enemy brought on surges of adrenaline, not a case of the jitters.</p>
<p>The jitters were exactly what he exhibited during the whole silent walk down the path that took them south of the mountains. He alternated between brushing dirt from his hair and shaking the slime and whatever else clung to it off of his arms and hands. Zabuza made no sarcastic remarks, and Kakashi was glad of it.</p>
<p>Zabuza wasn’t the only source of silence; however, Kakashi’s internal guide had gone mute, as well. He could’ve done with a bit of advice from it, but it seemed that even the mysterious inner voice was unable to direct him on how to prove something as unbelievable as the truth about the junimos. The pair arrived at the old, crumbling building before Kakashi devised a plan to explain what resided within it. He stopped in front of the door and glanced over his shoulder at his fellow rogue.</p>
<p>Zabuza’s gaze lowered from the community center's sagging roof and past its boarded-up windows until it met Kakashi’s. “You need things for this place?” He asked, breaking the silence with genuine curiosity.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Kakashi replied softly, tentatively, as he returned his gaze to the building’s exterior.</p>
<p>“Like a restoration project?” Zabuza pressed.</p>
<p>“Y-you could say that,” Kakashi latched onto Zabuza’s offered explanation.</p>
<p>“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” Zabuza snickered. “I mean, this place is going to need a lot more than new wallpaper and matching fauteuils.”</p>
<p>“Fau— what?”</p>
<p>“They’re open-ended chairs that were popular in the Rococo—never mind,” Zabuza cut himself short of elaborating.</p>
<p>Kakashi stood still, unable to do more than blink at the other man.</p>
<p>Zabuza cleared his throat. “Are we going to go in?”</p>
<p>The momentary surprise at Zabuza’s varied and odd interests left Kakashi feeling better about sharing one of his own, and he opened the door to the community center.</p>
<p>A brightly-colored junimo was there to enthusiastically greet him but disappeared before Zabuza stepped through the door, hiding itself just as they had the first time that Kakashi saw them while in Mayor Lewis’ company.</p>
<p>“I suppose you didn’t see that,” Kakashi muttered.</p>
<p>“See what?” Zabuza asked, distracted as he looked around the rotting entrance hall.</p>
<p>“It’s,” Kakashi attempted to describe the junimo with his hands, cupping them and forming a circular shape, “it’s a little, round—”</p>
<p>“A <em>slime</em>?!” Zabuza hollered and readied himself to attack or defend.</p>
<p>“No-no, no, not a slime,” Kakashi quickly clarified, “this one is purple, and it waved at us because it’s… friendly,” he stuttered through an explanation, willing Zabuza to believe him rather than expecting it. “They’re called ‘junimos.’”</p>
<p>“Junimos,” Zabuza repeated, skeptical. “I think you’ve spent too much time under the sun in your fields, Farmer, if you see dancing blueberries,” he laughed.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t dancing,” Kakashi grumbled, though Zabuza didn’t hear it over his mirth. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” he added as he stomped past him, embarrassed and frustrated, “I knew that you wouldn’t believe me.”</p>
<p>He heard Zabuza’s laughter subside, followed by his footsteps close behind, following him to the boiler room. Kakashi stopped in front of the shining scroll in that room, and his fellow rogue joined him.</p>
<p>“What am I looking at?” Zabuza asked.</p>
<p>Relieved that the other man could see at least this much, Kakashi replied with a little less trepidation. “These scrolls detail the junimos’ requests for gifts of the valley. There’s one in every room of the community center.”</p>
<p>“You can read it?”</p>
<p>“I can understand it,” Kakashi offered.</p>
<p>He felt Zabuza’s scrutinizing gaze on him, and Kakashi did his best to ignore it while he retrieved the quartz and earth crystal that he’d managed to locate in the mines. He held them in his hands, extended his arms out to the scroll, and like with every other offering, they disappeared.</p>
<p>“Where did they go?” Zabuza vocalized his surprise.</p>
<p>“The junimos accepted them,” Kakashi replied around the nervousness that returned to clog his throat.</p>
<p>“Stop messing with me,” Zabuza grabbed Kakashi’s shirt, “is this a genjutsu?”</p>
<p>Kakashi felt his face fall, but he didn’t break eye contact with Zabuza. “No.”</p>
<p>Zabuza’s eyes darted between Kakashi’s until he seemed to be satisfied that Kakashi was telling the truth. It didn’t lessen his anger, however. “So, you’ve just been giving <em>our </em>stuff away to these… things?”</p>
<p>“Well, yes, but I also get rewards every time I complete a bundle of requests,” Kakashi felt all the guilt of taking objects from their personal store rush into him at once. For the first time, he realized how little he received in exchange for how much he’d given, and it embarrassed him all over again.</p>
<p>“I don’t see any reward.” Zabuza continued to seethe.</p>
<p>“I haven’t completed the bundle.”</p>
<p>Zabuza released his grip on Kakashi’s shirt and withdrew from him to pace in the center of the room. Kakashi watched him silently struggle through an internal argument.</p>
<p>Then, he stopped and spoke with his back still turned to Kakashi. “What else do you need for it?”</p>
<p>“Uh,” Kakashi checked the scroll again, keen to answer quickly while Zabuza was willing to hear him out, “a mineral shaped like a droplet and another crystal like the one I gave, except red.”</p>
<p>“A frozen tear and a fire quartz,” Zabuza identified the objects for Kakashi. He pulled a scroll from his hip pouch and produced both after a quick series of hand signs.</p>
<p>Kakashi collected them and offered them to the scroll before Zabuza could change his mind, and suddenly, five large rocks appeared on the ground in front of it. To Kakashi’s eye, they appeared nondescript and disappointing, but Zabuza started at the sight of them.</p>
<p>“Those are Omni geodes,” he awed. “Clint can break them open, and sometimes they contain very rare and <em>very</em> valuable minerals. The whatever-you-call-thems gave you these?” He lifted his gaze to Kakashi again.</p>
<p>“Junimos,” Kakashi nodded just as one of them happily skittered out of the room carrying a bundle over its head, apparently invisible to Zabuza.</p>
<p>“What happens when you complete all the requests on the scroll?” Zabuza approached it as he asked.</p>
<p>“I don’t know; I haven’t managed to finish one yet,” Kakashi scratched the back of his head.</p>
<p>“How many bundles are left on this one?” Zabuza asked in a quieter voice.</p>
<p>“Two,” Kakashi replied, equally quietly.</p>
<p>Zabuza considered the Omni geodes on the floor before he spoke again. “What else do they request on this one?”</p>
<p>Kakashi listed off each item, and as he did, Zabuza produced them from his collection of sealed scrolls. He moved quicker, encouraged when a furnace appeared out of thin air, though he still couldn’t see a second junimo as it cheerfully ran out of the room with a bundle of smelted bars.</p>
<p>As soon as they fulfilled the third and final bundle of requests, Zabuza jumped at the ring that suddenly appeared on the floor, while Kakashi jumped in midair at the sudden appearance of more junimos than he’d ever seen at once crowding the boiler room.</p>
<p>“I don’t expect you to believe me, but they’re <em>everywhere</em>,” he laughed through his exclamation, no longer caring if Zabuza thought he’d lost his mind. He clamped his mouth shut when he heard their voices, as if in his head.</p>
<p>
  <em>‘This house was empty for years. The trees moved in and so did we.’</em>
</p>
<p>Kakashi glanced at Zabuza, who studied him with obvious concern, when a bright flash occurred without warning, leaving both rogue ninjas shielding their eyes before shutting them tightly. And when they reopened them, neither was prepared for what they saw.</p>
<p>The boiler room in which they stood had been transformed in an instant.</p>
<p>All the cobwebs had vanished; the floor, ceiling, and everything in between repaired. The room was completely restored to its former glory, and Kakashi scanned every pristine inch of it before he turned his attention to Zabuza, who looked all around him with the same wonder until their gazes met.</p>
<p>“I believe you.”</p>
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